Chapter 17, verses 22 through the end of the chapter. John has already read. Find your place there this morning. Entitled the message, God-Centered Preaching. God-Centered Preaching. Paul, if you remember, it's been a few weeks, but as you remember, Paul was provoked. Paul was irritated. Paul was stirred up. Paul was, quite frankly, angry. Because of what? Well, because of idolatry. because of all of the idolatry of Athens. And as he observed all of this, as the anger built up, he could not take it any longer, and so he began to reason with those who were there. And as he reasoned with them, they concluded that he was preaching about foreign deities. He was preaching about Christ, and the resurrection. And so, they said they would hear Him later. They drag Him before the Areopagus. And now there's a crowd of people that He has been brought before. And the subject matter at hand is the preaching of Christ and the resurrection. And so there He is. And so we'll pick up in verses 22 in just a moment. But I do want to emphasize, because it may not be as clear from the text, just how idolatrous Athens was. There is a man, secular literature, by the name of Pausanias, who visited Athens about 50 years after Paul was there. So, fast forward 50 years after Paul left, and this is what he said. He said it was easier to meet a god or to meet a goddess on the main streets of Athens than to meet a man. It was easier to meet a god than to meet a man. Statistically, he was right. Population of Athens, 10,000. Population of idols, 30,000. 30,000 to 10,000. streets lined, literally lined with false deities, framed by this architectural magnificence of the Parthenon and the Acropolis, they're all very dazzling to the eye. This is what Paul is seeing there. So you have this monotheist Paul, there's only one God, in the midst of a city who are filled with polytheism, that there are many gods. And it brings this tension that something must be said. It almost reminds me, well, not almost, it does remind me of an Old Testament prophet by the name of Jeremiah who said, like, I'm just not even going to talk anymore. But the more he beheld the situation, it became like a fire within him. He just had to open his mouth. That's Paul. I've looked at your idolatry, I've been provoked to the nth degree, and now I've got something I'm going to say. Now, you can be historical if you like, and you can say that's a fine story. I just want to submit, at least in the introduction, that things are no better in Azel. I'm not sure they're much better in your life. I'm not sure it's much better in the church. Oh, just because I don't have the Virgin de Guadalupe up here in a little frame that you can put some pesos in front of? Look, our idolatry is far more than some little trinket of Queen Mary. It's something more than that. It's something more than venerating dead saints, don't you know? Our idolatry has grabbed a hold of the entirety of our beings. So there's a provoking that happens because of that. in a very religious city where idolatry is everywhere. I just want to say to you today, just like with Paul, and just like today, public preaching of the gospel is no more culturally acceptable now than it was here. It's this theory floating around in people's brains that somehow Paul could preach in the public and it was acceptable, but now it's gone vogue and we shouldn't do that no more. Have you ever read the Bible? Look, gospel proclamation, light shining, has always been resisted. Whether it be Paul, whether it be Jesus, whether it be you, to make a stand and claim that Christ is King and all other gods must bow is controversial. There's no way around it. You can dig wells, and you can give out tacos, and you can pass out shoes, and you can pass out clothes. You want to start a fight, bring Christ to the center of attention. And I will say this in introduction, opposition is not proof of wrongdoing. Oh, it must be wrong, people are mad. That's not it. Opposition does not prove wrongdoing. Actually, here's greater truth, opposition aligns you with the truth of God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. From Genesis? Yeah. Won't you visit Noah and his preaching? for a hundred years and see how it was accepted in Genesis. And just work your way through the Bible and see how it works out in all these different places and understand the issue. It's spiritual. Look, you can sell lemonade all you want. You can do fundraisers out on the street and wash cars dressed in a bikini like a prostitute all you want. The problem is when you bring Christ to the center of attention, and you command people to repent and believe. Now we've got an issue. Volume's not your issue. Preaching at Walmart's not the issue. Preaching at QT's not your issue. Preaching in any public room is not the issue. The issue is Christ is confrontational to a religious world that is filled with idolatry. And when Christ is preached, their idols are threatened. And the religious world is very, very uncomfortable with that. In my text today, I know it's a lengthy text, I'm fully aware of that. I just want you to understand my text is this, as simple as I can put it. There is only one God. That may not be newsworthy to you, but it needs to be said, that's the issue. There's only one. I propose to you, it's not popular, it's not politically correct, but I propose to you that Christianity by nature is exclusive. You must repent. You must believe Christ. What about the guy in Africa? If he does not repent, and he does not believe Christ, he's going to hell. What about these people over here? If they do not repent, and they do not believe Christ, what about this sincere Muslim? He's sincerely going to hell. What about this sincere Catholic? She's sincerely going to hell, hanging on to her Virgin Mary. It's not about sincerity, church. It's very exclusive. Christ hath died. He bore sin. He suffered the wrath of God. He's buried and He's resurrected. You're not getting to glory without Him. It's excluded to only those who believe Christ. That's it. You say, well, that's not very politically acceptable. I'm not a politician. I don't want to be politically correct. I'm a pastor of a local church that nobody in the world cares about. And I want you as church members to know it's Christ only. And my purpose, again, is to exhort you, dear church, to have a high view of God. Don't be ashamed. Don't cower. Don't run and don't hide. Have a high view of God. Stand loud and stand proud. I belong to Him and I'm not going to compromise. May that be your position. Verses 22 and 23 of my text, Examination. Look at your text once again. Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said, Men of Athens, it is perceived that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To the unknown God, What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." Paul is direct. He preaches to his crowd. Godly preaching preaches to the people that are there. Just don't be vague. Let's don't be figurative. I'm preaching to you. Paul was preaching to them. He addresses his audience. He takes up the issue that is before him. He stands up and he speaks clearly, loudly, effectively in order that they understand what he is saying. And he says, I guess in a sense it is common ground, but I don't think it's a favor. He says, I can see that you're religious. I don't know why commentators are so scared to understand conflict or confrontation. Look, if I stand up in San Cristobal in front of the Catholic Church and I say, I can see you're religious, it's not a compliment. It's not a compliment. You're religious and your religion's gonna take you to hell. This is not a compliment. I'm trying to pull you out of your religion and understand what the true nature of the gospel is. Paul's doing no less. Paul's not trying to build some type of relationship with these people where we can all get along together and you can be religious and I can be religious and we can all work together. That's not the way the sermon ends. Oh, you're religious, I'm religious, we're all on the same page, let's work together. Paul has no interest. By the way, he never comes back. They were committed to their gods in every way. They honored them, they served them, they sacrificed to and for them. They were religious. Paul is passing through this idolatrous city and he's examining their objects of worship. If you ever go to Mexico with me, you'll find yourself doing this because there's these idols everywhere, side of the road everywhere. Some of them you see here in the States as well, but it's not hard to see. I can understand Paul's situation. and he's seeing them. I just want to bring out what's going on with Paul. It's not viewing to take a picture to put on some farce book thing or something like that. No, no, no. He's observing very closely their idols taking it in, examining it carefully, and seeing what their hearts are given to. I'm watching you. I'm watching your life. I'm seeing your affections. I'm seeing your devotions. I'm seeing everything that you would do for this idol that's sculpted with brick, stone, or mortar. I'm seeing your allegiance to it. I'm taking it all in very carefully. I'm pondering it all up in my heart. And when I get this thing all mapped together, I'm going to tell you something. This is what Paul is doing. He examines their objects. Objects meaning, at least in the Greek language, some type of object that is related to some type of devotion, religious devotion. If you put observing and objects together, this is what you get. The total visual impact of a city full of monuments or idolatry. So you take in all of Azel, you observe the city and all their objects, and you take in this world where you live right here in this community, and you take in all the cars, all the houses, all the money, all the hobbies, all the self, you take it all in, and all their devotion to it, and you let all of society around you have its full impact upon you, and you say, I can't take it no more. When will God get the glory He deserves? When? When will God trump football? When? When's it going to be? When is it when the businesses will be empty on Sunday because the city is fully committed to the worship of the living God? Oh, that all businesses would go bankrupt today because God got the glory. It's provoking. It's idolatrous. And so as Paul observes, this is what he found. He found an altar. He found this raised platform. It had an inscription written on the front of it. Agnosto Theo, to the unknown God. Agnostos, pertain to that which is unknown. I don't have all the information. Biblically speaking, just try to work with me here, make your brain work for just a minute. They knew there was a God, they just didn't know God. I know that one exists. Even if I don't confess there's one exists, there's something about the human nature that we're created and made in such a way that we want something. There's something driving us within. And even though we don't call it God, even though we don't put God's name on it, even though we don't write an unknown God, there's something in man that's drawing him to try to find some type of satisfaction. So it's like, seeking and searching, but not having all the information of how to put it together. I'm not gonna take the time, I'll just give you the reference, but if you looked at Romans 1, 18 through 22, it's beyond question that there are no atheists. It says in that passage, for what can be known about God is plain to them. There are no true atheists because what can be known about God is plain. What they've done is suppress that knowledge and said, I don't think a God exists. But they know He exists. And it's in there working upon them no matter what comes out of their mouth. So Paul says to these people that have this unknown God inscription in this city, he says to them that he will proclaim to them who this unknown God is, this one true God that they have eradicated because of their ignorance. So that's the examination as he starts the sermon and brings everybody into attention. And I just remind you of a couple of things about preaching in regards to that. Preaching is not vague. It's direct, it's authoritative, and it seeks to honor God and his word. Secondly, I would remind you, any true biblical preaching has that intent to exalt God. We're good with that. I think preaching ought to exalt God and also confront men. Preaching, I want to exalt God, but also to confront you. OK, why? Because I'm going to call for a change. How are you going to call for a change? God's Word is authoritative. God's exalted. You're confronted. In order for this to be remedied, somebody's got to change. Hint, it's not God. So the change that's called for has to be in me because there's no imperfection in Him. Third and last about things about preaching. Preaching is the means God uses to remove ignorance. to give instruction and to tell the truth about Almighty God. Verses 24-26, exaltation. Look at your text. Verse 24. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place." Now Paul is preaching. He's gathered the room, he's made his case, he's going to proclaim the one true God. The same God he proclaims, we proclaim. This one true God. And he starts with what? Creation. So you have these 30,000 idols, you've got the imagery around the city, you've got the whole globe, and it's in a sense, Paul's like, open your eyes, look at everything around you, and understand this truth. Your 30,000 idols created nothing. Your 30,000 idols have no ability to speak nothing into something. Your 30,000 idols didn't even exist in eternity past, and everything that we have has come into its being because God spoke it. He is the creator. Colossians 1, 16 and 17, For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible, invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him. All things were created for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. This is our God, the Creator of everything. And He did so through His Son. Secondly, God, and we say, okay, I agree. I agree. God put the stars in the heavens. I'm good with that. I agree that God made the moon and the sun and it makes everything rotate like it does. Great. Yeah. God created you. God created you. So that's one thing about all of creation. Just don't miss this reality that you're a part of creation and God made you like you are. You're an image bearer of God. Whatever you may look like externally, you've been created in God's image because He's the one who did the creating. He made from one man all nations. Made us to dwell on all the face of the earth. But here's where a lot of our religious brethren trip up and get a little nervous. There wasn't a whole lot of free will involved here. Like zero. You were born where you were born because God borned you there. Your mama is your mama because God said that's your mama. Your daddy is your daddy because God said that's your daddy. And you showed up naked and crying in Texas and that's just where you were born. You were not born in Alaska. Not even Joel was born in Alaska even though he went there early in his life. You're not born in Alaska. You weren't born in Romania. You weren't born in Russia. You weren't born in China. You weren't born in Australia. You weren't born in Mexico. You weren't born in Peru. You were born where you were born because God birthed you there physically. God has the right to determine your origination. He's free. to decide and determine where you're born. Just work with it. And after He determines, fixes it, if you will, He commanded your time. You were not born in 1616 with John Owen. You were not born in the days of Noah. You were not born when David was slaying the Philistines. You were not born when Jonah was in Nineveh preaching the Gospel. You were not born when the apostles roamed the earth. You were not born on that day in which Christ came out of the tomb. You were not born in any of these epics of history. You were born in 1962. Whatever your year is. And God is the one who fixed it that that would be your day. God determined it. You can wrestle all you want, but you know in your heart you had nothing to do with it. Nothing. But God determined the time. Commanded it. And I don't like this one, but for different reasons. The boundary. You're not over there. You're not over there and you're not down there. You're here. Why do you not live in the mountains? Why do you not live on the sea? Why do you not live in California? I got lots of reasons. I had lots of reasons, but God determined and God gave the boundary. What? Why are we in Briar? I mean, like, could we not pick a better spot? Right? I mean, like, if it's up to us, but God put the boundary. Here we are. God's free to do so. And that's what Paul is telling this crowd. You're in Athens, surrounded by 30,000 idols at this time, at this moment, in this vicinity for a reason. And God is the reason that you're here. Verse 24b, not only is God the creator, but we'll move into cosmic, if you will. Look at 24. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man. This God is so large, you can't put him in this building. You can't put him in this temple. You know the story, I've told it before, I'll tell it again. You know MacArthur was in that taxi in New York. You know that little bobble-headed thing was on the dash. I've told you the story before. There's a little bobble-headed thing. John MacArthur says, hey, what's the dude on your dash? And the taxi cab driver says, it's my God. And he explains his God. Blah, blah, blah. He says, it's my God. He gets finished explaining his God. And he turns to John MacArthur. He doesn't know John MacArthur. He turns to John MacArthur and he says, do you have a God? And John MacArthur says, yep. But he won't fit on the dash. He will not fit on the dash. Our God won't fit in some building. You can't contain Him. And here's the overwhelming thought. Look there at verse 25. Nor is He served. by human hands. I don't have time to work it out, but it is quite interesting to me that this Greek word, every single time in the entire New Testament that it is used, is translated healed. It comes from a Greek word therapeua, which is where we get the word therapeutic. You, in your hands, have no ability to therapeute God. You have no ability to bring healing or restoration or well-being to God. You can't do it. Primarily why? He ain't sick. He doesn't need restoration and you don't have the ability to bring any of it to the table. But listen, you say, that doesn't make any sense. Does anybody think that? Oh yeah, they think it this way. Here's how they think. They think that God becomes happier because I became religious. Oh, God's being restored and has joy because I came to church with my mom and dad today, because I came with my wife or my husband today. God will be happy with me. God will be what God is with or without you. There's nothing you bring to the table that makes God better. You can't bring one thing that helps God out. You don't need any help. Paul's preaching about God, the one true God. This God is not like your 30,000 idols that you gotta put a few pesos before, or do a couple of Hail Marys before, or some of this other stuff, or pay your allegiance to the secular restaurant on Sunday, or go down to the marketplace and spend your wares on God's day. You don't have to do all those things, no. This God, is not benefited by your presence. You say, well, what are you trying to say? I'm trying to say to you this, that if you understand the one true God, you are the one who's benefited in His presence, not the other way around. God is exalted above everything. He is to be exalted above everything. God is in competition with no one. God alone has free will. Psalm 115, three, our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. Verses 27 through 29. He's addressed them, told them about their religiosity. He's proclaimed the one true God. Here's the expectation. Verse 27. that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he's actually not very far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being, even as if some of your own poets have said, for we are indeed his offspring, being then God's offspring. We ought not to think that the divine being is like gold, silver, stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. God determined your time, your place, your boundary, and he's put you in this room this day, June, the second Sunday of June, 2025. And this is what he expects. He expects you to seek him. He expects you to seek him. God puts you here for a purpose. It is interesting, this word seek. what one desires somehow to bring into relation with oneself, to obtain something without knowing where it's to be found. I'm seeking something, but I just don't understand how to find, how to gather together. Like when they came out in the garden, Jesus says to them, whom do you seek? They're looking for Jesus, yet he's standing before them, asking them who they seek. It's like they're seeking, but they don't know what they're seeking, and they need help in their seeking. And so this is the condition. We should seek, and we don't have it all figured out, but we must seek. and, verse 27, search. It's strange, but you put these two words together and get this image in your head, you've had it happen a hundred times in your life, the lights are off in your house, you can't see nothing, there was a storm, the lights went out, it's two o'clock in the morning, and you're trying to find your car keys. I know they're there, I just don't know where. And I'm just groping around, table, chair. I'm just trying, robbing. And it's like, I know, but I don't know. Groping around in the darkness. And here's what people do. I know there's a God in the dark, and I get it all figured out. I know something's out there that'll make me happy. I know there's something that'll satisfy me. Church, listen, this is what people do when they're seeking and they're searching, and they don't have it all together. It's like, I know if there's a God, He wants me to be happy. Ah, here's a beer can, that'll help. Ah, here's a cigarette, that'll help to reduce my anxiety. Oh, here's some money. Ah, here's a hobby. I'll just go all in with this hobby and that'll bring what I'm looking for. No, I'll do this thing and that thing. Oh, what I need is, I need a woman. I'm sad, I'm miserable, I'm gonna commit suicide. I meet a woman, I'm happy, it's all good. I lose the woman, I'm all down. I just can't get it wrapped together. And God's saying, I'm a lot closer than you think. I'm a lot closer than you think. You just keep grabbing hold of the wrong thing. We are His offspring, not in a salvific sense, but created in His image. We're not the offspring of gold, silver, and stone. We have life. We have being. Even pagans know this. You know there's a God. Search and seek for Him by faith. Grab a hold of something different. Grab a hold of the Bible. Grab a hold of the church. Grab a hold of worship of the living God. Grab a hold of a place where God is revealed in order that He can be made plain to you. Lastly, number four, exoneration, verse 30 and 31. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. God has overlooked. What has been overlooked? May I ask this of yourselves today or someone you know? What's been overlooked? Ignorance. He's overlooked ignorance of these people in Athens, and maybe of your own heart, or maybe your child's heart, and maybe your friend or your co-worker. He's overlooked the ignorance. Where's the ignorance here? The ignorance is in not knowing God and responding to Him by faith. God's overlooked it for a season. He's overlooked this ignorance, this lack of information, this reprehensible conduct. He's overlooked it. But be careful. Just because He's overlooked your ignorance for 36 years, it does not mean you will see tomorrow. It means God's patient. It means God's kind. God could have judged the Athenians last year or the year before, but He's overlooked it because He had a day. He said, here you are today. God has not given you what you deserve. God's not brought the judgment you ought to get. He's overlooked it, if you will, that you would have today. this day, this hour, in this room, to hear about God who created all things, and you would today be able to hear the glorious wonders about God, and that you in this room would say, you know what? The Bible is true, and I'm sick and tired of hanging on to all of my idols. I'm done with it, and God gets preeminence from now on. Today he's giving you that opportunity to throw out your stinking hobbies, to throw out all of your selfishness, to throw away all your gadgets that clam up your mind and your heart and distract you from the things of God. And today you get rid of all of that and say, as for me, my house, I am going to have the priority on the living God and I'll worship Him. He has commanded me to repent. He's given me the gift of repentance. And I repent because I know the day's coming. I'm going to have to answer before Him. He's fixed today and it's on the horizon. What day? The day that you will stand before the judge. Who is the judge? Well, it's the man. It doesn't even say the man in the Greek text. It's a man, but this man specific to man got appointed. What did he appoint him for the judge? I didn't know this when I wrote my notes, but we had family time, which is always beneficial, last night. And I refer you quickly to Psalm 98. He's appointed a man to judge in righteousness. What will be the basis of his judgment? Righteousness. Psalm 98, verse 9, Before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth, He will judge the world with righteousness. The judgment that Christ will bring on you is a judgment that's based on His righteousness, upon what is right, defined by Him in His Word. Let me give you a very simple example. A man stands before the living God, stands before the judge of all the earth, Christ Jesus Himself. And the man says this, I've basically been a good person. That's what he says. The judge looks at him and says, there is none good, no, not one. His judgment based on righteousness is this. Sir, you're a liar and you're guilty. It's a judgment based upon righteousness. How do you know that this man that He appointed will be the judge? Ah, there's proof. God provided the proof. What's the proof? The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is proof that Christ has been vindicated as the judge of all the earth. As it was said in other sermons and acts, He is the judge of the living and the dead. Pressing the application down to us. At the end of the sermon, it means what? That Jesus Christ will judge you. I know the world I live in. It's not right to judge. It's not loving to judge. You can say all that junk you want to say, but one day, you're going to stand before Christ, and Christ is going to judge you. You're not going to be able to say, you don't know my heart, because He does. He knows your heart. He knows your motive. He knows your thoughts. He knows your life. He's not scammed by your religiosity. He's not deceived by your supposed worship. He knows what's going on in your mind and heart Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. All through the week He knows. And He's going to judge you. And if you have not found favor and peace with Him, you are in a precarious situation. And you are classified as a man called ignorance. Now these people heard this, Paul preached it, and I'm sure he preached it with zeal and passion. You say, how can you say that? Because he's provoked! We have a context. He's fired up at the idolatry. And he thunders this out. Nothing has changed in this room or in the Athenian room. Some just mock. Who do you think you are, Paul? You're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good. Why don't you get off telling us all these things? We're more religious than you. And they mock him. And others say, I'll be back next Sunday. Will you? You sure about it? I'll hear you Wednesday. Really? Have you ever heard anything on Wednesday? How do you know? And then others. But a precious lot of people. They believed. They believed. To ask you what your response to truth is today. And I remind you of the ending of another story. In conclusion. because we're talking about idolatry, and because we're talking about ignorance, and we're talking about the need to repent and truly believe. We put those things together, and we come to the end of Pilgrim's Progress. And you will find a man who has a name, and his name is Ignorance. Ignorance crosses the water, the symbol of death. He comes alone. Nobody meets Him. And He comes alone, alone to the celestial city. And He knocks on heaven's gates, supposing they'll give me entrance. I know I'm getting in. And over the wall, a man says, Where'd you come from, buckwheat? I added buckwheat. Where'd you come from? What do you want? And the man says, I've eaten and drank in the presence of the king. Don't miss the implication. I've eaten and I've drank in the presence of the king. and the king has taught in my very own city, Brier." So they ask, do you have any proof of your citizenship for this place? He never gives an answer. You can read it yourself, there's no answer. Two shining ones bind ignorance hand and foot. They take him to another door. They put him in there, and this is what Christian says, Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven, as well as from the city of destruction. You can die and make it to hell from here, or you can stand before Him on judgment day and also find your way to hell if you remain ignorant. And so our text says, repent and turn from your idolatry and put your faith in Christ before it's too late. It's your only hope. There is a judge. There is a day and there is a time and there's nothing you can do to change it. But you could be ready for when that day comes as Brother Jeff comes. Father in heaven, I pray for the church, pray for those who are Christian, who've gotten caught up in idolatry, that they would read the last verse of first John and keep themselves from idols. Pray God that we would. Listen to the words of John Calvin, that our hearts are factories for idols, and that we would put to death the deeds of the earth, and we'd put off the works of the flesh. Help us to fight through to be what You've called us to be. Lord, for those in this room who have yet to repent, who have yet to profess Christ, who have yet to have been baptized, that they would heed these words and know that there's no other option. Everything else has been taken away. The only hope they have is to look unto the One who has been resurrected from the dead. And I pray today that they would look to Him and be gloriously saved. I pray that no one in the room would remain ignorant. I pray today they would turn and fall joyfully in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray these things by Your Spirit, in Christ's name, Amen.